


The chess game or better known as the Thousand years of Blood War

by Zadaira (Dorothy90)



Series: My version of the Blood War arc [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Homosexuality, I will add more as we go on, Mental Health Issues, Multi, No beta- we die like men, Physical Abuse, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sorry Not Sorry, Verbal Abuse, Violence, nothing graphic, or so I have been told
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-03-19 22:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorothy90/pseuds/Zadaira
Summary: What would happen if someone in Soul Society remembered the first war against Yhwach, the prophecy and recognised all the signs? What if Urahara and Aizen are not the only strategists with love for elaborate games? What if the Soul King is not as helpless and damaged as they thought? A tale about battles and a war. About love and hate. About pain and healing.As promised, I will rewrite the last arc of Bleach to my liking. Hopefully, I will give justice to some characters; we all love. There will be some mentions of relationships, but there is no focus on one, although its no secret that I'm a huge UraIchi fan.I have an original character, and she is unashamedly all-knowing, a powerhouse and all over badass. Others might be slightly OCC, but this is fanfiction, so sue me.And yes, I suck at summaries.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prologue is written form Byakuya, Izuru (Kira), Genryūsai and Shunsui's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> " This is a conversation between charaters "
> 
> _This is a zanpakō talking to their master_

Thundering footsteps announced the arrival of my fukutaichō, Renji was five minutes late which, unfortunately, meant he was particularly on time. By his standards at least. His reiatsu flooded the office in his agitation for being late again. I was used to it by now, and he was a dedicated and competent subordinate, so I usually ignored this minor misdemeanour. He grew stronger, especially since the war with Aizen, I tried to get him to take the captaincy exam, but he refused. “Don't make me do it, please Taichō. My place is with the sixth, and you, the monkey still hasn’t reached the moon.” I let go of the issue, for now, we filled the ranks with capable men, who picked up the pieces left behind by the traitors, so there was no need to rush Renji. Although I expected him to grow out of his pointless obsession with me, he was strong and had the charisma to make himself an integrated part of the division within the first month of joining us. There was no need for comparison, he is a blunt force whereas I’m a calculated precision, both have their place, and this is why we worked so well together and why the sixth was like a well-oiled machine.

While everyone thought me detached, my division new better, if they needed advice, my office was always open, a strong, sound mind makes a good soldier, one who stays alive. Amusingly even after Renji joined us and trained with them, fought beside them and bled with them; some still preferred me to talk to, intimidated by the red head’s fiery nature. But truthfully there is no significant difference between us, merely I’m a discreet and private man, but my fire burns just as fiercely as his. For tactical purpose, I was hiding it behind the illusion of iron control and rigid protocol, but for a short time, the mask became me, and I lost my way after Hisane died. And I will be forever grateful for Kurosaki Ichigo for tearing the mask of me and waking me up from my lethargy before I could lose Rukia. Though, the boy will never hear these words from me. A few people definitely rejoiced and enjoyed my return to the living since then. 

The sound of alarm aroused me from my musings, and suddenly I felt the signature of few members disappear; they were patrolling the outer edge of Seireitei. I looked at Renji who was already at the door waiting to fall two steps behind me protecting my back like a sword brother; maybe I could talk to him about it. At the rate we are being attacked during the last few years, it would be a logical decision. But that is for later. We arrived at the place where I last sensed my subordinates, and we only found their bodies and two strangely dressed individual, whose outfit vaguely resembled the Quincy boy. I made Renji report what we discovered before we engaged the enemy, according to Renji similar occurrences happened all over Seireitei, which meant we were once again under siege; but this time it was an army intended to kill and destroy instead of a handful of unorganised teenagers. "Do you know what this means, we show them no mercy. I will fight them, and you will observe and inform the others, do not engage unless I tell you." Senbonzakura is effective against multiple opponents, and I need to make sure that my suspicion was warranted. 

I approached the two individuals, and the slender one of the two stepped forward. "Did you kill my men?"

"They merely died from fear, their heart couldn’t take it, and they collapsed. Do you feel it, captain? The ice-cold finger of fear taking hold of your body, mind and soul, freezing you immobile." He leisurely walked closer to me, like I was harmless. Sure, I felt something akin to fear, but that is nothing new I had many worries if I let them overwhelm me, I would have stopped moving a long time ago. So, I slashed him, but he was fast, and I could only manage a shallow cut severing a few strands of his hair. That was hirenkyaku, so I was right they are indeed Quincy but wasn’t the Ishida boy the last Quincy.

"Oh my, that was impressive, Captain-san. Conquering your fear through sheer will, congratulations. I’m his Majesty’s Sternritter F, Äs Nödt. We the Quincy Vandenreich came to obliterate Souls society. You don’t need to introduce yourself, and I know who you are. The 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, 6th division captain Kuchiki Byakuya. An excellent kidō, zanjutsu and shunpo master, a formidable opponent yet not one of the war potentials."

"You are a talkative one. But I have no time to waste on words; I will eliminate you scum. Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

If he knew who I’m, he probably knew my bankai as well, yet he started to smile the moment I summoned it. He wiped out some kind of pendant, and it sucked in all of my blades, he sealed them away. Then when I tried to attack him with my shikai, suddenly my blades rained down from above us, cutting into my own flesh. Impossible. He didn’t simply seal away my bankai… no this was something worse. 

"Renji, inform the others they can steal bankais, do not use them until we have a countermeasure. And Renji, stay out of this fight, you have to take care of squad in my place." My body refused to move, fear finally overwhelmed me, Senbonzakura was silent, and I was alone facing death. I have to think and fast, no one knew Senbonzakura like I do, all of his strengths and weaknesses. That’s right if I can get inside the safety zone, then I could sidestep its offensive power. But my wounds, the blood loss and fear slowed me down, and he anticipated every move I made. 

Never thought in my worst nightmare that my own bankai would end my life. I bled from multiple wounds, but my opponent merely played with me, testing his newly acquired weapon, feeding into the terror his own power forced upon me. I saw him readying the next assault, thousands of tiny blades resembling cherry blossoms rushed at me, so this was what my enemies saw before dying, it was achingly beautiful and frightening at the same time. But they never reached me. Suddenly there was a figure standing before my kneeling body; behind her, there was a strong Dankū shield. She was a shinigami a strong one based on her spiritual pressure and steady kidō, but she wasn’t wearing the traditional shinigami uniform. Close but not the same hers was dark grey, with a hood and a mouthpiece, so the only thing visible were her eyes. They looked at me like they knew me like we had a history a connection and she looked above all else disappointed in me. 

"Just what are you doing? Why do you let him play with what is yours?!" Her voice made me think about warm honey during the autumn, warming your chilled bones and wary soul. 

"What do you mean? He stole my bankai." I felt like five years old again and being scolded for not putting on a scarf despite being told so and getting sick.

"Are you kidding me? That’s just rich. He stole his bankai. Un freaking believable!" She muttered to herself then without an incantation she summoned a Tenteikūra "This is a message to those who misplaced their bankai. I don't know what they teach you, punks, these days, but your bankai cannot be taken from you — copied maybe, but completely separated from you, no way in hell. Your bond with your zanpakutō is carefully cultivated by many years and countless battles, more so is your bankai, a deep understanding of who you are. Do you think they can wield it after five minutes? Don't waste my time. Call your zanpakutō and trust your soul to answer as you always knew they would, time after time." I looked at her in disbelief; it cannot be that simple. 

Yet at the back of my mind, I heard a frantic voice shouting at me. _Call me, master!_ Senbonzakura was trying to reach me, but the fear Äs Nödt wielded clouded my mind, and I believed my zanpaktō betrayed me. So I struggled onto my feet, let go of my sword and called his name just as sure as I always did, and I felt his rejoice resonating in my inner world he was finally heard again; and the countless blades danced around me welcoming me, their one true master. 

"I trust you can handle this from here on, Kuchiki Taichō" after my affirmative nod she left with a shunpo worthy of that werecat. Just who is this woman, and why did she appear out of nowhere. Her reiatsu feels so familiar, and the name is on the tip of my tongue, and a face is lingering on the edge of consciousness, yet I cannot summon either of them like something is blocking me from remembering. But I have more pressing matter at hand than who this mysterious individual was. Now that the field was evened out, I would have my vengeance. My soldiers died, they left friends and families behind, and the debt I owed them must be paid in blood. So, this time it was Äs Nödt facing his own doom by the dancing blades, and it was his turn to taste the mind-numbing fear he foolishly thought he controlled. Now that we knew they cannot take our bankai, Sōtaichō was fighting among us, and even Kurosaki Ichigo made it to Soul Society. They had no chance of defeating us anymore. 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Life in the 3rd division was back to normal, or as normal as it can be with an old/new captain. Some of the older recruits remembered his brief captaincy, but for most of us, he was a stranger, even though I was grateful for him. Keeping the division afloat after Ichimaru Taichō’s betray was not an easy feat. As a mere Fukutaichō, I did not command the same respect as he did, and many, even from my own squad, looked at me with suspicion in their hearts. Then came a shocking revelation that he was double-crossing Aizen. He wanted to kill him, but for what reason no one knows, maybe Matsumoto-san has a vague idea. I tried to talk to her about him, but she was adamant he was dead, and it was time to move forward; she encouraged me to focus on building a relationship with my current taichō. And god help me I tried, but my whole world was destroyed when Ichimaru Gin left, then I built up myself founded on my resentment of his betray, but he took even that from me. He only left me with the pain that one more time I wasn’t enough, his eyes only saw Matsumoto, and he never spared a second thought to me when I outlived my usefulness.

Ōtoribashi Taichō tried to broach the topic with me, but no matter how much effort he put into hiding it, his own hate and anger shined through every time, making it impossible to confide in him truly. I could probably talk to Shūhei or Hinamori maybe even Renji, but instead, I buried it as deep as I could until I only felt a faint ache in my soul. I spent a lot of time talking to Wabisuke, which of course did not help my mood, but we were reaching a new understanding, and he told me I have to resolve my animosity towards fighting. Apparently, my dark thoughts hindered my ability to attain Bankai, which is rich coming from someone like Wabisuke. So, in a sense, I was moving forward, I was getting stronger, and I was feeling more in control of my life than I ever did since my academy days. Others saw my new-found resolve, and I was getting less and less wary side glances, and even my position in the division was steady, and my relationship with its members improving. All in all, not even two years passed, but sometimes it felt like all of that happened decades ago. Maybe Matsumoto-san was right, the dead belonged in the past, and living had no other choice but to move forward. 

The sound of the alarm was once more raised around Seiretei, I was wondering what happened again. My first thought was that Kurosaki-san forgot to ask permission to visit or that crafty Urahara-san thought it would be funny to drop the kid on us unannounced. I was out on a routine patrol with a few of the new members close to where one of the intruders was located. On the way, we were joined by someone from the twelfth division because according to Renji’s report, the intruders were Quincy, and we had to confirm this information. I immediately sent the rookies back to the squad and requested three of the seated members who are available to come and to inform the Taichō that we are engaging the enemy. I left behind the researcher to observe, while I was trying to buy some time for us, at least until the reinforcement arrived. I saw five people ahead of me four of them wore the same minimalistic military uniform while the last one was quite unique. He had Mohawk styled red hair, which reminded me of wildfire raising through anything and destroying everything in its past. 

"Identify yourself and state your purpose." _Well, that was very original Kira, really, because it takes a genius to figure out what they want._ Wabisuke admonished me, and while I would agree with his assessment, now was not the time for his sass, especially because the enemy launched an attack instead of giving some answer. Diplomacy was overrated anyway. 

I managed to dodge all the four arrows launched at me, a few months before and I would have fallen with half of my right side missing. However, now they couldn’t even graze my clothes. Three golden chains rushed forward from behind m, binding three out of the four lesser soldiers, and I made a quick work of the fourth. The reinforcement arrived, third seat Togakushi Rikū, fifth seat Gori Taketsuna and sixth seat Katakura Asuka, they were more than capable of taking care of the weaker enemy, so I could focus on the last one, who so far hanged back seemingly satisfied to watch. 

"Kira fukutaichō, please be careful, they can steal bankais, who knows what else can they do. Kuchiki Taichō, Hitsugaya Taichō had already lost theirs" warned me Asuka-san. That was not good, Kuchiki and Hitsugaya Taicho are one of our best fighters, and they were already in a tight spot, I couldn’t afford to let my consternation slip even for a second. "We sent a hell butterfly to Taichō, but the enemy is all over Seiretei so that he might be held up somewhere else" finished Togakushi-san the report. So, no more help on the way, we have to repel them here. 

"At least you are a fukutaichō that should be something at least, but still, I was hoping to meet one of the war potentials, not an absolute nobody. What a bummer." Tsked the last remaining Quincy. 

That was perfectly alright with me, the more he looked down on me, the more chance I would have to surprise him. First, I sent the same Sajō Sabaku that my partners used on the underlings, as predicted he dodged it after seeing it three times already, but he stepped right into my second bakudō, the Tsuriboshi made him immobile for a few seconds. After seeing Urahara-san fire away multiply kidō spells during the fight against Aizen, I practised a lot to be able to do at least two in quick succession, and now it paid off. Unfortunately, I only managed to immobilise him for a few seconds, so I was able to cut his left arm twice, but on his right arm, I only managed one cut. 

"Ah now I remember, you are the one with that weird-ass zanpaktō, which doubles the weight whatever it cuts. I guess I can introduce myself Steinritter H Bazz-B."

"I’m guessing that H has some kind of significance and not just a fancy letter."

"So you are one of the clever ones? Fuck, I hate those. Don’t worry I will show you in a minute what that H stands for."

I was expecting him to shoot an arrow at me, but instead, he aimed somewhere else, and it was not the arrow that came from his bow; instead, it was a fire beam. It headed straight towards our subordinates locked in their own fight, Bazz B valued his ones very little as the fire went through one of them first before it could hit Giko-san. My hastily performed Dankū without a proper incantation had no chance to stop the attack entirely, but it might provide a few precious seconds for Giko-san to react appropriately. The barrier broke faster than I hoped for, but it did help some instead of dying, he lost his left hand from wrist down, however, to recover his hand, he needed medical attention fast.

"H stands for Heat, by manipulating reishi in the air I can generate flames instead of arrows." So, it looks like the elite soldiers are named Sternritter and they have a letter indicating their special ability, as they can use more than a simple Quincy bow and arrow, as the foot soldiers. Good just talk as much as you can, I will gather more information, mock me as much as you want to and I will find an opening. 

Before he could tell me more, I felt the tendrils of a Tenteikūra reach out for me, the voice echoing in my ears was a strange one, I never heard it before, but she spoke with authority and conviction. All the better if she were right, it would mean that we were not handicapped, although we had a few captains who rarely used their bankais, the rest heavily relied on them during battle. But I had no time to rejoice as this information did not help me, I flash stepped beside my men. 

"Togakushi-san takes Giko-san to the fourth and reports what we learnt here, Asuka-san stays behind and make sure we are not interrupted and finish off the Quincy if there is any left alive."

“Whoa, that is so cruel, shinigami.”

"You are the one to talk? Hypocritical coming from you, when you sacrificed your own man just to take out one of my own. Besides you came here looking for a fight, you brought death and destruction; we just kindly return the favour."

But before Giko-san and Togakushi-san could leave Bazz-B launched a new attack, five flaming balls appeared in front his bow when he fired it became a torrent of flame in a spiralling tube heading straight for us, although I saw the attack, but there was no way I could summon any kidō strong enough to counter it. We could only brace ourselves and hope one of us might survive; I took an unconscious step to put myself in front of Asuka-san. 

"Bakudō no 81: Dankū" suddenly someone flash stepped before us and erected a barrier strong enough to withstand the attack. My eyes widened, mine broke just from one and his stood firm in the face of five at the same time. He seemed to be examining me because when he saw the disbelief on my face, he explained. "Relax, I started the incantation before I arrived."

"And who the hell are you? And what are you doing here butting into someone else’s fight? "

"Who, me?" came to the amused answer "I’m a dead man walking, and I’m just taking the trash out." with those words he launched himself at Buzz-B, and they disappeared from our eyes.

"But seriously, who was he?" asked Togakushi-san

"I don’t know, for now, let’s assume he is on our side, take Giko-san. Asuka-san let’s see if anyone else needs help, we are finished here." Something felt strange like I knew this man from somewhere, the spiritual pressure felt familiar and the mannerism too, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t summon a name or face. He was clad in a deep blue kosode and hakama with grey shitagi and belt, but he also had a hood pulled down into his eyes and a covering over his mouth and nose like the onmitsukidō. So, I couldn’t even tell what colour his eyes would be, yet I felt such longing and safety in his presence like he was an old lover. 

"You stepped in front of me when that Quincy tried to attack us. We are at war, and you are a fukutaichō, you can’t pull a stunt like that. The third needs you more than me, and you know this. We need you to be the real you, the ruthless strategist, not the warm-hearted superior you have been playing these last few months."

"I know Asuka-san, I know."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

We paid dearly for our blindness to Aizen’s betray, refusing the heal my arm, compared to popular belief, was my way of reminding myself never to make the same mistake again. So, when Urahara came to me with a request to break a rule and help Kurosaki Ichigo to gain back his powers, I didn’t hesitate, which shocked many. But no general would ever give up on a weapon that could change the tied in any war. And war seems to be brewing I have lost my fukutaichō, my friend, my sword brother, and it was a greater loss then anyone could imagine. My soft-spoken fukutaichō was a strong warrior, with a powerful Bankai and only his loyalty to me kept him from taking a captaincy in another division, and I, in my selfish desire, to keep a friend close, let him do so. 

And as I suspected an alarm went off, poor children they don’t know what came for us this time. But I do, I’m old, but even if I live a thousand years more even then I couldn’t forget Yhwach and his Steinritters, the past had come back to haunt us. But I hoped that the squads could hold their own a bit better, well most of them are still too young, one can only hope they have time to grow stronger. My opponent is their king, Yhwach, no one else should suffer my mistakes, and no one is strong or experienced enough to face him, not even Shunsui or Jūshiro. I’m on my way to meet my destiny; my soul is calm; my mind is empty. There is only Ryūjin Jakka, me and our opponent. 

….

I was careless, after Aizen, I left someone else to deceive me … I let the Gotei down; I let soul society down…. I’m sorry my love, looks like this is my last battle. I hope I can look our children in the eye when I see them again. But the strike which should have cut me in half never reached me. Suddenly a person, a woman dressed in similar shinigami grab appeared so fast that even my battle-trained eyes had trouble keeping up with her. Her blade, partially drawn and on one knee stoped the deadly blade meant for me. 

"Yare, yare that was close Pops, looks like time got to you."

If we were not in the middle of a battle and she did not save my life seconds before, I would teach this youngster what the respect of your elders is, and where does the Soul King live. But we have no time for that. Another person entered the battlefield. He had long hair and wore a unique uniform, so Steinritter. 

"Tsk, I told you, Little Fox, to take the trash out."

"But I already did, and why is it me who needs to take out the trash? You, take it out this time." Whined a male in response, lounging in one of the nearby roofs. When did he arrive, and how did I not sense him? Who are these people? Why do they feel so familiar?

"Fine, but then you are taking care of the Despot."

"Whatever I’m out, and I will graciously take the trash with me." He launched himself off the roof, grabbed unto the Steinritter and disappeared into the distance. 

"Do you think you can stop me?" although he appears calm, there is a simmering rage in Yuhwach’s voice.

"No, I know I can stop you. Little Fox and I are the unknown variables in your carefully crafted equation. You like to make people believe that you see the future, but I know better. You have a crafty mind I will give you that, but you are no god or messiah, and I’m not a fool. Besides, is it not time to take a nap, false god? The sun is going down, tick-tock, time is up."

But then Kurosaki broke through whatever kept him from joining the fight before. And in typical Kurosaki fashion, threw himself at the first enemy he saw, in his Bankai form. But he didn’t know his enemy and got his sword broken for his trouble. And Yhwach disappears, this was mealy the greeting, the worst is still ahead of us, and just what did he mean by ‘my child from darkness’? Kurosaki is hunched over his broken sword, and the strange man is back. 

"Am I mistaken, or there is something wrong with this scene?"

"Really, Little Fox, you went there? Well, the brat is what he is, so of course, he couldn’t sit on his ass and wait for an explanation. Anyways its time for phase two."

She turned towards me, and suddenly my vision becomes burly, I knew, you should never trust a stranger. Life is never simple or dull in the Got...

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I try to adjust to my new vision, one eye, oh well girls like a good scar, especially with a bloody tale behind it. And it is as bloody as they come. We have been invaded again, and we have nearly lost if not for two strangers. Who are they? Friends in the need or foes deceiving us in time of chaos? They seem to know suspiciously lot, especially the female. Yet I cannot make myself to distrust them. Why does my soul rejoice, like welcoming an old friend, lover, sister in the arm? 

They have a plan, an elaborate one and I will bet my hidden stash of sake, the one that not even Nano-chan knows about, that they didn’t reveal most of it. But even they could not save Yama-ji, damn I never wanted to be a Sōtaichō. Typical Yama-ji, having the last laugh at my expense even beyond the grave, or wherever he is. 

Although the Quincy, soon after Kurosaki’s defeat at the hands of Yhwach, withdraw from the field, there were no victors here, only senseless loss. Hundred or so shinigami lost, many hospitalised, three fukutaichō in intensive care Rukia among them, four taichō on the brink of death and half of Seireitei reduced to dust. And we took out two Steinritters and wounded five of them; not even Kurosaki could touch their King, morale is low. But we will survive as we always do; and from the ashes, just like the Phoenix, we will rise stronger and wiser. 

This was the first day of a new chapter in the Thousand years of Blood War between the Quincy and Shinigami, or so I have been told.


	2. Fist day of a new chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I correct some of the inconsistency in the timeline. Everyone gets to know what's going on. No secret or stone will be left unturned. There is a bit of action and blood, as usual when Ichigo's inner hollow is in control. And we will get to know our unknown protagonists' name, well sort of. Kisuke needs a hug, Benihime is a badass, and Little Fox is vexed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me as we are still at the very beginning of the story and the stage must be set. I planed to talk about more, but as usual, the story wrote itself. I don't have a beta so misspelling can happen and awkward phrasing too as English is not my first language. So if there is an aspiring beta among you feel free to come forward, I like neat picking. 
> 
> Thanks for tagging along for this ride, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 
> 
> Ps, I edited the previous chapter, which I will do a few more times probably. I changed a minor thing so it might be worth reading the last bit before you read this one.
> 
> Ps.s. If you haven't read the last ark of the manga you might find some spoilers. 
> 
> Ps. s.s Zadaira will crawl into bed now.

Chaos followed the retreat of the Quincy army. Half of the Seretei were in shambles, many of the seated officers hospitalised and some of the captains were under intensive care, not to mention that the Sōtaichō was missing, presumably dead. In his absence, Kyōryaku Shunsui former captain of the 9th was named as the next leader of the Gotei 13, but he only accepted it as a substitute until they can find either Yamamoto alive or his body. The two strangers who fought on their side surrendered and submitted to an interrogation led by the captains, the substitute shinigami and his gang, and by the representatives of the 46th. One of the representatives, to everyone’s surprise, well everyone but Shunsui and Jūshirō, was the wife of Yamamoto. Who knew the jaded soldier once were a normal person, falling in love and marrying someone. Naturally, Madam Yamamoto was a force to reckon with in her own right. 

 

“Let the questioning begin. First you tell what you think we will need to know, then everyone has a chance to ask questions. Is this acceptable?” Although it was a phrased as a question, everyone felt it was not one. One needs to be a fool to disagree with Yamamoto Arisu. (1) 

 

“Where should I start, hm, I know, a history lesson. More than a thousand years ago (2), a bloody war was approaching its conclusion, it had been waged for nearly three hundred years. By that time, no one knew who is why initiated it. The Quincy had a fearsome king, who was not only strong but also cunning. He was a brilliant strategist with a vast spy network, therefor like our very own Urahara Kisuke he had plans ready for several scenarios. So much, so that there was a legend that he sees the future. He circulated rumours that he had been stabbed, poisoned or shoot many times, yet no one managed to kill him, so the other myth was born that he is a god. Make no mistake he is neither immortal nor a seer, which of course doesn’t mean that he is not a formidable opponent but far from being unbeatable. 

 

After a clever plot, he was cornered and separated from his elite unite, the Steinritter, think of them as the equivalent of the Gotei taichōs. After several hours of relentless fight, he as vanquished, or so everyone thought. Only three people know what happened in reality, the Sōtaichō, his general and the then Kenpachi. However, there is a legend or song among the Quincy, called the Kaiser Gesang or Emperor Song. It tells the story of a sealed king, who would regain his pulse after 900 years; 90 years after, his intellect would return; and 9 years afterwards, finally he would regain his power. (3) The king had a horrible technique called the Auswählen, where he could take back the power from some he deemed unnecessary or mostly impure, and then he could redistribute said power or absorb it himself. 9 years ago on June 17, a rainy night, many Quincy died among them Kurosaki Masaki and Katagiri Kanae also known as Ishida Kanae.”

 

“Um, I am sorry to interrupt, but, who did die that night?” came the tentative question from Orihime

 

“Yare, yare. Kurosaki-kun’s and Ishida-kun’s mother” came the amused answer from the unknown male.

 

“Don’t you think that this is not your story to tell?” accused Urahara

 

Suddenly the air in the room became thick as the women let loose some of her reiatsu. “Hush now child, we are at war. The time for secrets and tiptoeing around egos is over. I have given ample opportunity to all of you to tell him who he is and what powers reside in him. I will not tolerate anyone being at half power because they don’t know or they wish to hide their true potential. The Gotei was established to be the shield wall for the three realms, but this wall is only as strong as its weakest member is. If you cannot give your, all leave now because we have no use of you.”

 

“So what am I know Quincy, Shinigami, human, visored?” Ichigo seemed to be angrier than confused. 

 

“Ask your father or your so-called mentor. I have no time, nor the patience to trace your bloodline.” the women seemed to be at the end of her proverbial rope. Little did they know that she was not angry with Ichigo, he had every right to know, but with Isshin and Kisuke. Unsurprisingly, this reprimand was just too much to the hotheaded teen, so before his hollow would be unleashed among the others, he left the room. “I think you should follow him former taichō-sama. You turned a fifteen-year-old into a child soldier. He is your responsibility, not his father’s, not the visoreds’ and not Yorouchi’s, but yours alone.” The disapproval was evident in the woman’s voice and most probably hit home because the shopkeeper just vanished from the room. 

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

 

Ichigo did not stop until he reached the underground training place. There were two places in Soul Society where he felt safe, the Kuchiki manor and here where he was surrounded by the reiatsu of his mentors. He was upset, but not for the reason everyone would think. He was no fool, he knew there was more to his father’s story, and he was the one who told him it's fine not tell him yet. However, he never could have imagined this was about his mother being a Quincy. Call him petty, but being seventeen was hard, not to mention that he had been already stabbed, killed, manipulated, lied to and abandoned numerous times. So excuse him, but he was allowed to be pissed off and throw a temper tantrum here and there. But looks like someone did not get the memo that ‘fuck off Ichigo wants me time’. 

 

“Kurosaki-kun…”

 

“I’m fine Geta Boshi, this is not my first rodeo. You and Goat face are not the most forthcoming people; I know this so no surprise. The funniest thing that I’m not even angry that there is yet another part of my past that none of you told me. But because of the reason why you haven’t told me. Despite all the time, that I have taken it in a stride whatever was thrown at me, none of you trusts me. That I would understand, that I would forgive whatever you two think needs to be forgiven. Shit, old man, how many times do I have to prove it? When will I be enough? Don’t you dare to apologise! Just give me an answer.”

 

“Kurosaki-kun, it’s not about trust. I…”

 

“Fuck of Geta Boshi, how many times have I bled in your floor? How many times have you used me in one of your schemes? When will you stop putting this distance between us? Or this it? Am I nothing more than a pawn, a soldier?”

 

“Kurosaki-kun …” the blond tried to reach the teen and turn him around, but Ichigo’s reiatsu exploded from within throwing the shopkeeper several feats. 

 

“Wrong answer, Hajun-sama. (4) You just broke King.” came the echoing voice of Ichigo’s inner hollow. 

 

“Shiro (5), if I’m not mistaken.” Urahara’s whole demeanour changed, from relaxed an unassuming idiot to a predator on his own right. 

 

“So that’s what he is calling me, fitting I guess, but oh so wrong.” To the blond’s surprise, he casually started to swing Ichigo’s sword around “If I were you I would unleash my zanpaktō. Although King likes you so I cannot kill you, I think it’s high time to pay some blood for what you have done to him.”

 

“Wait, Ichigo-kun broke his sword during bankai, how come you have one now.” Kisuke was genuinely confused. But the hollow wasn’t paying attention and attacked none the less.

 

“So now you can call him Ichigo, too late Hajun-sama. And correction King broke what he assumed was his zanpaktō when in reality it was nothing but a toy, a practice sword if you will. The one everyone has before the real deal.” That fact that Shiro managed to stab Urahara on his first try did not surprise the hollow but that it launched him into the shopkeeper’s inner world well that was an exciting outcome. He landed in a strange room mostly covered by red cloths and in the middle among many pillows reclined Urahara’s sword sprit. Seemingly, without care, the female spirit was fanning herself, but the hollow knew better, that one wrong step and he would be sorry, this lady defied all logic. “Aww what an honour, the Crimson Demon herself.”

 

“You have some nerve to call me a demon, and to be fair, it’s Princess.” Corrected the unruly hollow sharply “You seem to be angry with my wielder. Why?” 

 

“Haha, he broke mine. I take offence with that.”

 

“Well, then yours not only ignorant but weak as well.”

 

“Oi Hime-chan, careful you might be a predator, but I’m pure instinct. And tell me why is King ignorant?”

 

“Let me tell you a short tale ….”

 

“What’s up with everyone today. Did I transmigrate (6) into a matinee dimension?” Faster than he could detect a shallow cut appeared on his cheek; by the time he registered that the other spirit moved she was reclining in the same position as if she never moved. (7) 

 

“As I was saying, let us go back to the winter war when your owner lost his power. My wilder drove himself into a frenzy to restore the power of yours. Needless to say, no one saw him for weeks. He shooed everyone away all the time, took only the food that was necessary and barely slept. At one point, he started hallucinating from the lack of sleep and food. That’s when the Catwoman interfered, we nearly killed her. Not a big loss if you ask me, but he likes her; alas, he relented and took better care of himself. Finally, he realised the answer that was in front of his eyes all along. You just needed to be jolted awake, or they could wait until you come back to your own. So there came the relentless fight with the boy’s father, Kisuke wanted to give yours a choice, Isshin was against the whole thing, wanted him to quote ‘have normal teenage years’. Kisuke started the preparations anyway, he knew yours wouldn’t sit on his ass and wait to be rescued so before he could do anything stupid like fall for Ginjō’s scheme Kisuke wanted to be ready. Then he realised that despite how strong we are, we are no match for the reiatsu that needs to be kick-started. Hence the dilemma of how to collect enough. 

 

Do you know what he did? He went to the old bigot and begged him for help On. His. Knees. He got down on his knees in front of the people, who ridiculed, banished and used him when it was convenient. So, don’t you dare to accuse my wilder that he abandoned, betrayed yours or that he doesn’t care. Granted, he is as graceful as a bull in the china shop when it comes to human interactions, but he cares more than any of you can fathom. Now be gone, before I do something which would make Kisuke seal me away for half a century, again.” 

 

And Shiro found himself back in King’s body still holding the sword embedded in the former captain. He pulled the blade out with as much care as it was possible. “Very well, Hajun-sama, you are off the hook this time. King is a bit twitchy that I blooded his princess, the fool as if this could kill ya. But one more thing Hajun-sama, my name is Zangetsu, use it next time.”

 

Urahara’s head was spinning. First, the hollow stabbed him, then he froze and kind of disappeared, and when he was back, he was completely different. What the hell happened here? And he is one to talk when he never called him anything else but Hajun-sama in a very, very mocking tone. That his name was Zangetsu well that didn’t really shock Kisuke he kind of suspected such. The kid was never good at soul searching. 

 

“Oh my god, Geta Boshi. I’m so sorry. I tried to come back when I realised what he was planning.”

 

“What? Oh this, this is nothing Ku…. Ichigo-kun.” he dismissed the teen’s concern, absentmindedly wiping the wound with his hand enveloped in a healing kidō “Do you know what happened?” 

 

“Why did he attack you, or why did he change his mind?”

 

“Both. Any”

 

“I guess I was more hurt by you, deep down, than I realised. As for why the change of heart, heck if I know, but he is not the most forthcoming thing.”

 

“Ichigo-kun I don’t want to cause trouble between you and your father, so I will not go into detail. I referred to his wishes so far because he was your father. Some would kill to have that in their life, good or bad. But true, you have earned the right to make your own decisions. And I do trust you. So much so that I have a proposition for you. In a time of war, it is not unheard off for two people, who trust each other to protect their back, to form a bond, it is called Ryōba no ken (8). It forms a bond between the sword spirits, so one can sense where the other is and whether they are safe or in danger. It allows tapping into each other’s reiatsu, to read it and to draw from it. Hence, it is an extremely close tie. For instance, the only known bonded pair this time is Kyōryaku taichō and Ukitake taichō. Don’t give me your answer now, think about, I know it’s not how you act usually. However, I did not make this offer lightly, so I ask you to treat it the same.”

 

“Keh, I will, but I doubt it would be any different then what it is now. But fine I will give some more thought.”

 

“Thanks for humouring this old man.”

 

“Stop that Geta Boshi. You are not that old.”

 

“But Kurosaki-kun, you called me an old man not five minutes ago, am I old now or not?” whined the other from behind his fan. 

 

Ichigo did not dignify it with an answer. Instead, he returned to the meeting, with a small grin on his face. Kisuke gave him a little bit of headway if he can keep up with the Shunpo princess then he can keep up with the teen. 

 

“Just what did you tell him, Hime-sama?” he wondered, not as if he was expecting an answer from his moody sword spirit. She did not appreciate that he let the other wound him. But he felt, if Ichigo wanted to hurt someone, then he was the one who deserved it the most. 

 

“That’s for me to know Mushukumon (9), and for you to wonder” came the unsurprising answer.

 

“Yare, yare (10) someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

 

“Yet, I still have a better bedside manner then you!” 

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

 

“Ain’t you a ray of sunshine today” chuckled the male after his partner successfully drove out not only the substitute shinigami but the former 12th captain as well. 

 

“Aren’t. Careful there little fox, one might think you are not from the neighbourhood. But anyway, this it, I would like to wait with the plan until those two come back. So any questions so far?”

 

“I have a few.” Indicated Ukitake “First of all who are you? Why the secrecy? And why do you know so much?”

 

“Let me change it up a bit. I witnessed the first war, but I was awfully young. But it was something that always fascinated me, was there any chance to prevent it from happening, could we have won it faster with less bloodshed, and so on so forth. So I talked to anyone I could find who was willing to talk. If we had time, I’m sure we could find most of what I have told you in the Kuchiki archive, but we have very little time.”

 

“Why? Do you think they will attack again?”

 

“They will because there is one more line to that prophecy which was forgotten in 9 days he will regain the world. (11) He will come.” 

 

“Ah Ishida-kun, I’m so glad you could make it.”

 

“Well, you threatened to tattle on me to the Steinritter if I didn’t come. So I had no choice.”

 

“Quite frankly for a self-proclaimed genius, your plan sucked boy, they knew about your Mom. Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer and all that. Besides, your little cohort is at its strongest when you are all together. Fighting alone was never your style, despite what nonsense you would frequently spout. I just made sure your teenage hormones don’t cloud your judgement” came the blunt answer. “Where was I … oh yes. So this is how I know things, as for who we are, I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. You see as I had told Yhwach has an extensive spy and information network, which remained intact even when he was not around. Because of circumstances, that are not relevant at the moment, I was unable to continue my work as part of the Gotei 300 years ago, but a contingency plan was put into place by the then 46 council. My name, rank, personal history, any description of my appearance had been sealed away for as long as needed. Down the line I met with Little Foxhere, who was seriously injured and everyone thought him to be dead, I whisked him to safety, nurtured him be back to health, and he has been training with me ever since. We used a modified version of the same seal. However, his records are not sealed, since he was declared dead we just had to make sure no one can recognise him.”

 

“And as the last days of preparations draw near, we managed to sneak in a false order to the Wandenreich, namely that every document of the deceased or missing person to be destroyed for better management of the available information. We are somewhat sure that they no longer have information about us, but it is important that we remain anonymous. We are the wild card, Yhwach cannot factor us; hence, why we never made it into the war potential list” clarified the male. 

 

“Aw Little Fox, you are sore. Never you mind, by the end of it, everyone will know how badass you are. Anyways some of you may feel that you have seen us somewhere that you have even talked to us, but it is imperative that you do not chase that feeling and try to figure out who we are we cannot risk exposure. So, for the time being, you can call Little FoxHameshi and me Ruri” although none of them could see, they could all hear the amusement in Ruri’s voice, while Hameshi quite literally facepalmed 

 

“I can’t believe you went there.”

 

“Well, you could go with Aoi (12) if you want to.”

 

“Always knew you wanted to put a stamp on me.”

 

“Been there done that, remember?” 

 

“I’m done dealing with you for today, and I would prefer Aoi if I must.” Huffed Aoi vexed by his partner’s antics

 

“You have the Ryōba no ken bond, right?” asked Kyōryaku

 

“Yes, the worst decision of my life.” “Yepp” came the simultaneous answer. “Oh come now Little Fox, you love me. Oh look, they are all here. Everything is peachy in paradise?” 

 

Ichigo just grunted while Urahara fanned himself without any word, but anyone could sense the calmness and contentment radiating from the younger one. “Ishida, what the heck are you doing here?”

 

“Your friend had the insane plan well more insane than what you usually cook up, to infiltrate the enemy line. We gently reminded him how foolish said plan was. Phase two was to get everyone here: the people from the Transient world (13), the visoreds, the Catwoman, the Shinigami, the Shibas…”

 

“One is still missing” interjected Aoi 

 

“Sorry about being late, I drooped off the twins at the shōten I hope you don’t mind Urahara-san. But Yuzu and Karin were adamant that they wanted to see your kids” burst Isshin in. 

 

“Well there goes the missing Shiba, all counted for.”

 

“Taichō?! Where have you been? What? I don’t understand.”

 

“Love the hair, Ran-chan, long time no see.”

 

“Taichō? Shiba? What the… DAD. You. Me. Talk.”

 

“Oh hi, there son.”

 

“Shiba Isshin, former 10th taichō, is Kurosaki Ichigo, your son?” came the question, which sounded suspiciously like a death threat, from Arisu. 

 

“Why, yes, Ma’am!” rubbed his neck, Isshin somewhat awkward.

 

“As much as I am team ‘Isshin onto the naughty list’, we have things to do.” tried to gain back everyone’s attention Ruri, but it was a lost cause, half of the room erupted into chaos. 

 

“So you come with this very convenient story and expect us to blindly trust you” inquired Ukitake. While the other half of the room tried to decide whether to skin Isshin alive, castrate him or just simply hang him. 

 

“Well if you put it that way, I guess we are suspicious, but I cannot give you more than what I have already told you.”

 

“I guess, you wouldn’t subject yourself to protective custody until we could confirm at least part of your story,” said Kyōryaku

 

“No, we cannot. Still, have a lot of things to accomplish and already very limited time to do so” answered Aoi as honestly as he could.

 

“Then I’m afraid we are at an impasse” spread his arms the new Sōtaichō.

 

Ruri contemplated her next move for a second, a decision made she put her hand on her zanpaktō and rushed at the former 9th captain. Who not expecting to be outright attacked was a little late at drawing his sword and could only unsheathe his short sword. However, Ruri did not pull her own, and instead grabbed Shunsui’s hands that were holding the wakizashi, and forced it upwards, so instead of pointing towards her abdomen, it rested against her heart. “If you truly cannot find it in your heart to trust me, then kill me now. I cannot help you if you don’t trust me, and I would rather be dead then see what comes after” was Ruri’s response. By now, the whole room was silent, and everyone eyes were on the pair. 

 

“That’s quite enough, young lady; you have caused enough drama as it is. And you Shunsui stop harassing the girl” snapped Arisu. “We have very little choice here, we need allies, and we need help. They are offering both, that is enough for now.”

 

Soon after, the informal meeting broke up, and Ruri and Aoi choose to help with the wounded. After several exhausting hours, they were finally alone resting on the rooftop of the fourth’s hospital building. 

 

“Well that was eventful” stretched his sore muscles Aoi.

 

“Yes, way more chaotic then I expected”

 

“Oh, come on. You loved every minute of it. Drama Queen”

 

“And imagine I haven’t even got to the juicy part. That one of the Kenpachis needs to die for the other to evolve. We need all the Arrancar who are in fighting condition, now that they kicked the Quincy out of Hueco Mundo. I need to train the human girl for her healing ability to be top-notch. And sadly we need Sōsuke” Ruri counted out the things on her fingers. 

 

“Aizen and the Arrancars are going to be a bitter pill.”

 

“Yes, but it must be swallowed none the less. Can you take care of the Hisagi and Ayasegawa?”

 

“Of course, we have been over this like a gazillion times” came the vexed answer from Aoi. “You seem to be happy.”

 

“Maybe it is wrong, but I’m happy. I have you, I’m back in Seretei, so far everything goes according to the plan… and we kicked ass today.” Ruri’s smile got bigger when he heard his partner’s laugh; it was a rare treat to hear.

 

“That we did, that we did. Well, let’s turn in for the night.”

 

“I can’t wait to see what they did to Shiba, have you seen the look on Kukkau’s and Yoruichi’s face? Isshin and Kisuke are going to be on their shit list for the foreseeable future.”

 

“Case in point, Drama Queen.”

 

“Never denied it.”

 

Endnotes  
(1) Arisu (亜利寿) according to the internet means ‘noble’ while I speak Japanese, names are bit more complicated 亜-means next rank, 利-means advantage or benefit and 寿 can mean either congratulations/best wishes or longevity. So ‘noble’ in the sense of royalty seems feasible. Kubo gave talking names, so I was trying to stick with this, while still sounding okay with Yamamoto. 

 

(2) So Kubo wasn’t the best with timelines, if you try to add up, it is often contradictory. While the first war supposed to happen a thousand years ago, the prophecy also takes nearly thousand years, so either the seal was broken as soon as Yhwach was sealed or within one year. Next chapter I will clarify my timeline, but that needs a bit more work. 

 

(3) I mix-matched some of the translations I found so this time it’s a bit different from Bleach Wiki. Anyways you can see this part in Chapter 537

 

(4) This took me a while, I wanted a phrase that would indicate the hollow is aware of how dangerous Kisuke and Benehime are. Later on, he calls Benihime the Crimson demon. So Hajun (波旬) is the Demon King of the sixth heaven in the world of desire in Buddhist mythology. Which is funny because of Benhime’s bankai name contains Kannon (観音菩薩) which is the Japanese version of Guanyin or Avalokiteśvara who is associated with compassion in the Mahayana school. Interesting trivia that initially he was male, but somehow turned into a female in China, and this is how she was imported into Korea and Japan. Therefore, in India, the sculptures are rather masculine. And of course, Zangetsu calling him sama is half-mocking, half respectful despite what Kiuske believes. 

 

(5) I don’t think he has a cannon name, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. So I went with the simple Shiro (白) meaning white. Very original, I know.

 

(6) It means to die or fall asleep and weak up in a different body, usually in a different time/dimension. A popular theme in Chinese Xianxia novels. 

 

(7) It is called hōzuri (頬摺) according to Bleach Official Character Book 3 UNMASKED, page 157 (yeah this part is from Bleach wiki, sadly I don’t have this book) and one of Urahara's existing techniques. It was pure coincidence, by the way.

 

(8) Ryōba no ken (両刃の剣) which means double-edged sword, in an earlier version it was Yaiba no Futago (刃の双子) which translate into twin sword or the twin of the sword. Basically, I wanted to find something for a Sword brother, which is unisex. I don’t know yet which one I will use. 

 

(9) Mushukumon (無宿者) means homeless wanderer 

 

(10) I realised I had used it before but didn’t want to renumber everything, so here it comes. Usually, I saw this translated as My, my or Dear me. But can be translated a number of ways expressing an exclamation. It is generally written in hiragana alone (やれやれ) ‘oh!; ah!; oh dear!; good grief!; dear me!; thank God!’ are what my dictionary says. 

 

(11) So this part comes from Chapter 546, and it is Yhwach who tells this, so most probably he is the only one who knows about it. But that’s the beauty of fanfiction I can change things. 

 

(12) So quite obviously ‘Ruri’ does a wordplay here Ruri (瑠璃) means lapis lazuli thus indicates a shade of blue, while ‘Aoi’ (蒼) simply means blue hence why Little Foxaccuses her to wanting to put basically her name on him. ‘Himeshi’ is not a full name, but what it refers to I won’t tell you this time. Feel free to guess, though.

 

(13) Although usually it is translated as Human World, World of the Living, Material World, or the Real World. The original Japanese word gensei (現世) means the present world, present age or the transient world, which I think sounds way cooler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of my Endnotes? Do you like them, or hate them?
> 
> Is it foolish of me to think that some of you are still in the dark of who Little Fox is?

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is. If you like it, come and join me on this ride. If you dislike anything, feel free to leave at any point or let me know, and I will see what I can do. Fair warning I moderate the comments. I do this for fun. And while hater's going to hate, I'm not obliged to engage with it. This doesn't mean I don't like to hear from you or will say no for constructive criticism. Feel free to drop me any just give me the benefit of doubt, that I'm neither ignorant nor a bully.
> 
> Ps. The description of Bazz-B's attack is from Bleach Wiki thanks for the Author.
> 
> Ps. I usually use Bleach Wiki when I'm uncertain about spelling but any remaining mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Ps. So kudos for Bleach Wiki.


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